What you're saying is absolutely correct but it has nothing to do with the issue being discussed in the linked article. You can fly in a real aircraft for hour

What you're saying is absolutely correct but it has nothing to do with the issue being discussed in the linked article. You can fly in a real aircraft for hours doing nothing but twisting autopilot knobs. OTOH you can practice basic airmanship skills in a sim. EDIT: sorry, I realized that you were basically saying the same thing.